Higher Certificate in Banking

The South African Qualifications Authority Act, 38 of 1995, states that the objectives of the National Qualifications Framework are to "... to create an integrated national framework for learning achievements; ... facilitate access to, and mobility and progression within education, training and career paths; ... enhance the quality of education and training; ... accelerate the redress of past unfair discrimination in education, training and employment opportunities; and thereby ... contribute to the full personal development of each learner and the social and economic development of the nation at large". The postulation of this qualification is informed by the priority of equity. The qualification is intended to reflect the entirety of skills possessed by any particular learner, regardless of that learner's prior educational background. Moreover, it is in the interest of equity that this qualification is capable of reflecting the unique sets of skills of individual learners, and individual needs, potentialities and talents are accommodated by this qualification in the interest of equity.

In accordance with the terms of regulation 6140 and the needs and requirements of the specific banking industry the purpose of this qualification is to represent a planned combination of learning outcomes in the field of business, commerce and management studies and specifically the sub-field of banking which has the purpose to provide qualifying learners the competence and the basis for further learning.

In addressing the necessary core, fundamental and elective unit standards it plans to add value to the qualifying learner in terms of enrichment of the person through the provision of status, recognition, credentials and licensing.

It further promotes the enhancement and marketability and employability of learners and plans to open up the access routes to additional education and training through this process. It further has the purpose of providing benefits to society and the economy by enhancing citizenship, increasing social and economic productivity providing specifically skilled/professional people and transforming the redressing of legacies of inequity.

A combination of competencies obtained in the Further Education and Training band will serve as a learning base to progress into the level 5 qualification.

Role of Recognition of Prior Learning

The qualification is specifically designed to accommodate a broad range of recognition of prior learning. This intention is reflected in the structure of the qualification and also in the rules for combination of credits towards the qualification. The intention is to provide recognition for all the relevant skills which learners already possess and even to provide recognition for skills which might not be absolutely relevant to the job through the elective category. It is recognised that these suites of skills will differ radically from learner to learner and from bank to bank. The philosophy of flexibility expressed elsewhere in this document arises from a desire not to unnecessarily deny access to an appropriate qualification to any learner.

Recognizing that skills development in banks will in any case be specific to specific learners, rather than rigid career paths, which in any case appear to be rapidly disappearing in banking, the same philosophy requires that this qualification will be so designed as to accommodate as far as possible recognition of whatever skills the learner will need to acquire both now and in the future.

The principle of portability is honoured in the qualification. It is viewed as irrelevant at what institution credit towards a particular qualification was acquired. Prior learning may for example occur through the formal education system. To accommodate appropriate recognition of this prior learning, the qualification may contain up to fifty-nine credits which are transferred from formal schooling. Nor is there any prohibition of using appropriate credits towards this qualification which have already been used towards any other qualification.

It is not envisaged that this qualification will ever be a "whole" qualification. It is not intended that evaluation towards any constituent unit standard will ever be subsumed in broader evaluation towards the qualification as a whole, in consequence. This arrangement particularly suits the contingencies of recognition for prior learning. It is expected that every learner will plan his/her own progress toward the qualification by obtaining assessment from an appropriate source towards the unit standards which he/she intends to incorporate in the qualification. Such a system will draw heavily on recognition of prior learning, and will enable learners to obtain qualifications as far as possible on the basis of recognition of prior learning.

In conclusion, the qualification may be achieved in whole or in any part through the recognition of prior learning, which will include the learning outcomes achieved through formal, informal and non-formal learning and work experience.

1. Exit-level outcomes

The exit-level outcomes of the qualification will be the sum of the outcomes of all the unit standards constituting the qualification. It is not possible to be more specific about the exit-level outcomes because the flexibility envisaged in the qualification makes countless permutations of unit standards possible. This flexibility is desirable because it reflects the multi-disciplinary nature of banking work, and the fluidity of jobs and roles within the banking profession.

It has been established that all the critical cross-field outcomes identified in various literature released by the South African Qualifications Authority are achieved through any permutation of unit standards complying with the minimum requirements for the qualification. It may accordingly be concluded that, regardless of the permutation of constituent unit standards selected by the learner, the qualification will have played a crucial role in promoting life-long learning.

The sum of the specific outcomes of the unit standards comprising the qualification should make the learner competent for his/her job in banking, recognizing that no prescribed combination of unit standards will make the learner competent for all jobs in banking, even at a particular level of work.

It is not possible to catalogue the assessment criteria of all the unit standards which might form a part of the qualification. However, as it is envisaged, the assessment criteria pertinent to the exit-level outcome of the qualification will be the assessment criteria associated with every individual unit standard comprising the qualification. Exiting from the qualification is possible from every point, because the learner would retain credit in respect of every unit standard which he/she obtained credit for during the course of his/her engagement with the qualification. While it is not possible to be more specific than that about early exit outcomes, this approach makes it possible to guarantee that every learner will enjoy the promised benefit of portability of unit standards.

For the learner, who exits the qualification before completion the opportunity always remains to re-enter the qualification, or even to re-enter a qualification at a higher level, incorporating the applicable unit standards for which he/she already has credit. In any event, the specific and critical cross-field learning outcomes which are required for competence in terms of the qualification should be consistent with the requirements for effective performance in the job.

2. Specific outcomes

This qualification is highly flexible, in that it accommodates the combination of a wide range of unit standards. The need for this flexibility results from the dynamic environment of the banking sector and also reflects the fact that general education is valued in the banking sector. This qualification allows learners as much opportunity as possible to deploy what they learn in and for the workplace in obtaining this qualification.

However, because of the flexibility, it is not possible (and nor is it desirable) to state a narrow set of specific outcomes which will be associated with this qualification. Rather the specific outcomes of the qualification must always be seen as the sum of the specific outcomes of its constituent unit standards.

This means that different learners who possess this qualification may have achieved different "sums of specific outcomes", so to speak. This should not represent a problem as long as learners and employers are aware that this qualification does not imply a single, invariant set of specific outcomes. Moreover, it is hoped that learners will not see this qualification as an end-point in their learning but rather as a milestone and will continue learning towards further qualifications. As banking is such a wide, fluid environment and career paths in banking are so various and intermixed, it seems far less valuable to try to tie learners to rigid, predetermined sets of specific outcomes than it is to recognise the skills they possess, and to encourage them to expand on these.

3. Critical cross-field outcomes

The unit standards comprising this qualification will indicate the appropriate critical cross-field outcomes. Each unit standard is complete within itself and can be an exit level outcome enabling the learner to exit the qualification at any point. Credits achieved within the qualification are retained by the learner and are portable.

No matter what its constituent unit standards, providing that the minima that is prescribed are adhered to, the learner who acquires the qualification will be able:

• To identify and solve problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been made.
• To work effectively with others as a member of a team.
• To organise and manage him/herself and his/her activities responsibly and effectively.
• To collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate performance.
• To communicate effectively using mathematical and language skills.
• To demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognizing that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation.
• To benefit by full personal development, thus contributing to the social and economic development of South African society at large.

Section 8 of the Regulations under the South African Qualifications Authority Act of 1995, published in Regulation Gazette 6140 of 28 March 1998, provides a number of requirements for the registration of qualifications, inter alias that a qualification shall:

(g) "... incorporate integrated assessment appropriately to ensure that the purpose of the qualification is achieved, and such assessment shall use a range of formative and summative assessment methods such as portfolios, simulations, work-place assessments, written and oral examinations ...".

It is recognised that skills development within banking is more and more individually based. Individuals will develop unique career paths to equip themselves for an environment that changes constantly and rapidly.

The intention in postulating this qualification is to provide recognition for the skills which bank employees already possess. It is recognised that the combination of skills will differ from employee to employee and from bank to bank. A philosophy of flexibility is required to ensure that appropriate qualifications are easily accessible to any bank employee. It follows that qualifications in banking will be determined by the needs of the individual and not by a prescribed formula.

This qualification consists of unit standards drawn from a wide range of fields. Each unit standard is a self-contained exit level outcome. Each constituent unit standard contains its own assessment criteria, and it is not intended that admission to this qualification will be accorded on any basis than the granting of individual constituent unit standards on the basis of compliance with those assessment criteria. The unit standards prescribe competent performance and lay down the assessment criteria by which competence should be judged, as well as the range of circumstances in which competence should be demonstrated.

The assessment tools used include

• Written instruments (e.g. tests/case studies/projects).
• in-situ (on-the-job) observations.
• simulation.
• role-play.
• structured classroom discussions.
• portfolio of evidence.
• technology-based testing.

These methods must be carefully selected based on the purpose of the assessment (For example, the written method of assessing knowledge or on-job demonstration of practical competence). The assessment should as many different methods as are necessary to give the assessor reliable and valid proof of competence and evidence of required attitudes.

The portfolio of evidence referred to in the previous paragraph, if used for assessment purposes, must provide valid, reliable and authentic evidence of past achievements and experience which served to supplement the assessment of applied competence. The portfolio should include:

• written statements from reliable persons (for example current and/or previous employers, colleagues, peers, managers, and/or external customers) confirming the competence of the learner;
• relevant certificates and/or awards;
• previous assessment records; and/or
• journals and/or logbooks.

Because the qualification is not offered as a "whole" qualification, the question of formative and summative evaluation towards the qualification does not arise. Moreover, the question of formative evaluation does not arise in respect of credits awarded as recognition of prior learning. It is to be hoped that in respect of unit standards representing new learning by the learner the formative and summative evaluation will take place, in order to ensure integrated assessment results.